Playing with shoes
offers pre-k
and kindergarten youngsters many different kinds of learning
experiences.
These dramatic play activities take advantage of children's interests.

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Early
Math: "Shoe Graph"Introduce
counting
and one-to-one correspondence while creating a simple bar graph with
this
circle time activity from Carol L.

Materials:
Construction
paper and marker.

Description:
During
circle time, have children decide which type of shoes they are
wearing:
shoes with laces, velcro, buckles, zippers, etc. The teacher now makes
a graph with the categories, and puts children's names under the
appropriate category.
Children
help count how many names are in each column. Which column has the
most,
the least. Count how many names are there all together.

Parachute
Shoe MatchYoung children
use
observation skills and they match shoes during this game by Amy.

Materials:
Parachute,
one shoe from each child.

Description: Ask children
to take off one shoe (understand if a few children prefer not to remove
a shoe). Place all shoes in a pile. Have the children stand
around the parachute and get a steady movement up and down with the
parachute. Have one child run under parachute, grab a shoe and
run out the other side. The child now walks around the group trying
to match the shoe to the owner. Continue until all shoes are matched.

FootstepsAli promotes
counting
in order and encourages youngsters to follow a path saying,"The children
enjoy
this large group activity because it is energetic."

Materials:
Set of large
paper numbered footsteps. Teachers can make these by tracing adult
shoes
and covering with clear contac paper.

Description:
Arrange
the footsteps around the room. Children can follow the path around the room
moving
from number 1 footstep to number 2 etc. until they reach the end. The
children
can take turns making their own paths around the room or garden for their
friends.

Extension:
Make
it different, instead of footsteps you can make lilypads and the
children
can be frogs jumping from one lilypad to another.

Early
Math: "Washing Line Pairs"Julie F.
encourages
kindergarten children to count by twos and to match pairs during this
early
childhood activity that uses socks or shoes.

Materials: A
makeshift
washing line at the children's height, pairs of socks or shoes,
colorful
and patterned if you can, plus some pegs or clothespins.

Description:
After
setting up the washing line have a small group of children engage in
the
activity. Teachers have a wash basket full of socks or shoes that
are all mixed up. Tell the children that the socks or shoes need
to be sorted into matching pairs. Each child is to have a turn sorting
out a pair and then pegging them on the washing line.

After they
are done,
explain they need to be counted. But because they are in pairs they need to be
counted
in two's (explain that pair means two). Show them how to count in twos by
going
along the line counting each sock (shoe) but emaphasising the 2, 4,6, 8
etc. in a loud voice and the 1, 3, 5, 7 etc in a quiet voice hence
letting
the children hear the counting in two's. Let the children have free
experimentation
afterwards, make sure you get them to say the two's in a loud voice.

Patterns:
"Shoe Prints"Children compare
the
different kinds of patterns on the bottom of shoes and use fine motor
skills
as they cut out the patterns during this activity by Cora S.

Materials:
Old shoes,
sneakers have the best patterns, paint, brushes. and paper.

Description: Children
paint the bottom of old shoes and press on paper. Let Dry. Children
can also cut them out. If you want to use the shoes the kids are wearing
to school just use water and make foot prints on concrete. Then watch
the water evaporate. Old shoes can be cleaned up and donated to a goodwill
store.

Shoe
Match Up RelayDuring this activity
by Tammy S. children tie shoes, find pairs, take turns, use fine
and gross motor skills and eye-hand coordination.

Materials:
Children's
shoes.

Description:
Divide
your class up into two groups. Ask each child to take off theirshoes and put
them
into a pile. The children form 2 lines and one child from each line
will
run to the pile and find their shoes. They'll sit down, put the shoes
on,
come back to the group and tag the next person who will do the same.
Repeat
until every child has a turn.

Comments:
This is a
great rainy day activity, just move all of the furniture.

Game: "Musical Shoes"Cindy G.
offers
this preschool and kindergarten game to engage children in musical
movement,
recognition and self help skills.

Materials:
The shoes
the children are wearing and a musical tape or CD.

Description:
Each child
takes off their shoes, boots, or sneakers, (whatever they are wearing
on
their feet). Make a circle on the floor out of all of the pairs, keeping
pairs
together in the circle. Play music as the children walk around the
outside
of the circle. When the music stops, the children need to
see if they have
stopped
in front of their own shoes. If they have, they put them back on their
feet
and continue walking around with the other children when the music begins
again.
If they have stopped in front of shoes that are not their own, they do
nothing.

Discussion
can be promoted
as to whose shoes they have stopped in front of and if they are their
own
or not. Begin the music and continue to walk around the circle,
stopping
the music occasionally. Repeat stop and start until all children
have their own shoes back on their own feet.

Comments:
This is a
great activity and game because it does not promote winning or losing, just
participation
and fun.

Shoes
& PlantsJessica
suggests
this idea saying, "Here is an idea for a plant project that a fellow
teacher
showed me".

You will
need:
An old pair of shoes for each child, soil, seeds, hot glue and
plastic
cups.

Description:
Have the parents bring a pair of shoes that their child grew out
of.
Teachers hot glue plastic cups inside the shoes and then tie the
laces.
When the glue is dry, have the children fill the shoes / plastic cups
up
with the soil and plant the seeds. Make sure that you emphasize that
the
seed needs soil, sunlight and water to grow. Have the children
water
their plant every day and every day check and watch it grow. The
children will see that the plant grows big, just like they
did.
That is why they can't fit into their shoes anymore!The parents will
love
the activity and the children will also get a lot from it!

The
Shoe GameChristina offers this activity saying,
"The
object of the game is for kids to find the match to the shoe you hold
up."

Materials: Shoes of different sizes
and styles.

Description: My child loved this
game in
her preschool, she often asks to play the shoe game at home. It is so easy I
love
it. All you do is hold up a shoe and ask your child to find the match
when
they do they get to wear the shoes, dance around etc. until they
correctly
get the next match. This activity can go on as long as you would like.

Game:
"Shooz"This early childhood game by Suellen
P. builds young children's ability to discern attributes.

Materials: Shoes

Description: Children sit in a
large circle
and remove one shoe. On the count of three, a shoe bearing certain
attributes
is requested by the leader, e.g., "A shoe that is white". "A shoe
made of leather". "A shoes with patterns". "Toss it
in!" Children with a shoe that meets a
particular
description gently toss it in to the center. Then leader says
"Take
it out!" Children retrieve their shoes.

Comments: They love this game!

Early
Math Activity: What Size Is Your Foot?Lisa P. teaches
four year old children (and older) early skills in measuring,
comparing,
counting, fine motor skill development, tracing, coloring, decorating,
cutting and pasting with this activity.

Description:Draw life-sized
dinosaur
tracks of different kinds of dinosaurs and tape them to a
table
top at the children's' level (use a variety of colors).
Place
construction paper big enough to surround a child's foot. Ask the
child to stand on the paper and trace their foot, or have the children
trace each other's feet.

Have the
children cut
out the shapes, help them if needed. Make a circle with the
children
to discuss similarities and differences among each other's feet, and
then
have the children measure the dinosaurs feet to compare with the size
of
their feet. Record the findings and then perhaps graph the
results.

Link:
Draw or
paint dinosaurs without feet, attach their own foot cut-outs and
display.

Follow
My Foot StepsTeresa R.
uses
this activity with Toddlers and two year old children who have enjoyed
the fun while learning about patterns, comparing sizes and following
directions.

Description:On different
color
construction paper I trace around my feet (shoes). I then cut them out
and cover them with clear contact paper for durability. Next,
tape
them on the floor or sidewalk. Have the children follow them by
stepping
where you have stepped.

Dancing in New ShoesEnhance
children's
self-esteem with this circle time activity.

When a child
wears
new shoes to class, invite him / her to stand in the middle of the
circle
and sing the following song to the tune of "This Old Man."

Here's
one
foot. (stick out one foot)Here are
two.
(hold out other foot)Each is
wearing a
brand new shoe.So skip and
dance
all around the floor. (child dances or
skips
around the circle)That's what
these
new shoes are for!

Sole RubbingsYou will need:Newsprint (easel) paper and old crayons

Let children do sole rubbings of
the bottoms
of each other's shoes. Use paper and a crayon with the paper
peeled
off. Place the paper over the bottom of a shoe or sneaker and rub
with the flat side of the crayon until the design appears.

Shoe HuntHave each child take off one shoe and
place
it in a pile in the middle of the floor. Tell the children to
close
their eyes as you take the shoes and hide them around the room in plain
sight. Then let them go and hunt for their shoes. They can
sit down and put them back on when they find them.

Dramatic
Play Activity: ShoesDuring this preschool education lesson plan
children will use creative expression and thinking skills as they play
with different types of shoes.

You will need: A variety of shoes, such as work
boots,
sneakers, ballet shoes, silly slippers, baby booties, etc.
Empty shoe boxes.

A few days before the activity
collect shoes
by asking parents to donate shoes and visit a local thrift store to
purchase
permanent additions to the dress-up corner.

Teachers introduce this dramatic
play activity
by talking about shoes with preschoolers. Ask them to tell about
a time they went to the shoe store. Go around the group and talk about
the different types of shoes the children are wearing. Encourage
them to point out similarities and differences. Count how many
children
have shoes with laces and how many have on shoes without laces.
How
do shoes without laces stay on? Teachers, don't forget to examine
your shoes, too.

Bring the play shoes to the
dress-up area
and discuss the different types of shoes, encouraging preschoolers to
tell
about the people who might wear them. Give children lots of time
to play with the shoes, try them on and attempt to walk in them.

Early
Math: "Create a Shoe Store"Suggest that pre-k children use the
shoes
to create a shoe store. Provide empty shoe boxes as props.
Help them make a special try on area and take turns being customers and
sales people. Pre-k children have fun counting when "paying" for
shoes.

You will need:Play money or teacher-made paper
money,
a shoe store.

Teachers help young children decide
how much
each pair of shoes will cost and label each shoe box with the number
(cost).
Provide play money and encourage children to "pay" for the shoes.
Provide lots of small bills so that the children will have fun
counting.
Each child "customer" should be given enough play money so that he/she
can "buy" shoes and still have a little left over.

Extension: Before
snack pre-k
children can help decide how much food items will cost and then have
fun
"paying" for their juice etc. during snack time. Just make sure
everyone
has enough play money to "buy" snack plus a little petend money left
over.

Storytime books about shoes:

New
Blue Shoes by Eve RiceShoes
by Elizabeth WinthropWhat
Can You Do With A Shoe by Beatrice de Regniers

Teacher Tip:
During the beginning of the school year and after holidays children may
have new shoes and be interested in talking about them and
participating
in these activities. Don't forget about the classic counting nursery
rhyme
"One, Two, Buckle (tie) My Shoe".

Music Game: Imaginary ShoesThis early childhood education music
activity
takes advantage of the children's experiences during dramatic play
activities
with shoes and uses the the time concept of stopping and starting an
action
on a signal.

You will need:A record player/tape recorder, easy
instrumental
music.

Encourage movement by putting on an
easy
instrumental selection. Explain to children that when you stop
the
music they need to "freeze". While they are "freezing," ask them
to imagine that they are wearing a certain kind of shoes, such as
cowboy
boots. Start the music again and ask children to move to the
music
as if they had on these big boots. The next time you stop the
music,
change the imaginary boots to flippers, high heels, a giants shoes, ice
skates, etc.

Each time the music stops young
children
change their "shoes" and move to the music as if they really were
wearing
that type of shoe. Quietly end the musical game with a pair of
imaginary
slippers and invite the children to tiptoe off to "sleep".